Ice
by Absol Master
Summary: Perish Song, the sacrifice of one's life, for the end of another's. Why did I never realise that this was what she would do - for me, for us all? Oneshot.


Well. On a whim, as usual. Absolutely no planning. The only planning I did was "Perish Song".

I LOVE that move! Especially since Absol learns it :D Enjoy the piece, hopefully.

In this fic, fainting in the game translates to death. Okay? Ready for it (the Pokemon death, I mean)?

Go.

* * *

_i c e_

The wind was like a brush of ice on my skin. The ocean was like a shallow dish of light as I sat there upon my Lapras' back with the sky spread over me. Our home, a small island close by, was to my right, far enough to be a slip of black against the light of dawn.

_I'm glad for this day, _I whispered silently to the sky. Those words weren't addressed to anyone.

_I agree. _No, like any other, my Lapras, Catalina, could not talk or communicate through telepathy. But I understood it so well already, and I knew that that was what it was saying. Smiling, I gave it another stroke on the neck. My hand was so cold.

The horizon betrayed no signs of disturbance, no signs of any deviation from an ordinary day. The Wingull called out with their usual raucousness. Those voices brought me that reassurance that I wasn't too far from home.

But my distance from home didn't matter, not today—today was different. I could feel the finality descending on me.

"Xatu," I called, and the bird-like creature obediently appeared from its Pokeball. It turned to the horizon as it had this morning, and gave its echoing warning call. I tensed. The number of attacks on many parts of the region had suddenly skyrocketed in the past month. If they were finally here to attack our home, I would see to it that they didn't succeed.

"I'm glad for this day," I repeated to myself, steeling my nerves and looking at the sky again.

I didn't have to wait long. Xatu was getting restless. Then a dark shadow rose from the other horizon, and the churning of machines began. "Turn!" I gave the command, and we swerved around, cutting rapidly through the water, towards the fleet of attackers.

As I caught my first glimpse of them, I counted their numbers. There were more than ten ships, all loaded with guns, their crewmen holding their Pokeballs at ready. They were dressed in black, faces shielded by one-piece sunglasses, no emotion showing on their faces at all.

"Here they are." I turned to my Pokemon and whispered a prayer. They were ready to battle. The wind continued to bathe my face in coldness, a feeling that I would have enjoyed on another day.

As they approached, they opened fire on us. Catalina threw up an ice shield at my command. "Xatu! Psychic!"

Suddenly, the missiles turned in midair and flew towards the ships again. They struck the first, and its entire deck burst apart, men and women leaping into the sea. In the wind, I gave a silent cheer for success, before heading on towards the attack force.

Suddenly, their formation changed. I found myself in their midst, and they began to close the circle around me. Behind me, in front of me, at both my sides. Xatu's wingbeats were loud in my ear, the water beneath Lapras rising and falling rapidly all of a sudden.

There was the metallic sound of sliding metal as their side guns suddenly began to extend from the hulls, all pointed towards us. Lapras was shaking in silent terror, I could feel beneath my legs. _Don't be afraid, _I mouthed. Its head was turned back. It returned me a message through its eyes.

_Don't be silly! I'm not afraid! We'll beat them easy._

Then the bullets began to fly. I ducked down, and Xatu caught every one in its Psychic. Another wave came, just as suddenly as the first. We were pelted with bullets from both sides.

_Hang on! _Catalina circled once, neck bending low. A wall of ice rose around us. Circular cracks appeared in it on all sides, black bullets at the centre of each. The wall cracked with the next barrage.

Suddenly, they were all flying towards me, another surge of bullets. Xatu caught them, but didn't catch them all. I screamed, and the dark rain of projectiles was suddenly upon me—

_MASTER!_

Catalina saved me once more, freezing the bullets in place. Panting, I sat up and hugged her neck. She turned to face me.

_Follow Xatu back to shore. It's not safe here._

I wanted to reply in disagreement, but she reassured me once more. Xatu slowly lifted me by the back, and I was soon flying upwards.

The guns were fired again. Catalina was shooting them out of the air furiously with water pulse. Suddenly, I was in the middle of the sky, over the dawn-lit ocean, flying backwards towards the island.

Catalina gave a cry of anguish as another wave of bullets flew.

"CATALINA!" She didn't reply, but kept fighting, and I could do nothing but watch, tears falling from my eyes.

She turned and gave me another straight look that left me stunned for seconds. I could see it all written in her serene expression, in her bright, gemstone eyes.

I'm glad for this day.

Giving her a brave salute, I turned back to the sky, Xatu still flying on towards our island. No shots were fired at us, for they were all focused on Catalina.

Then a haunting melody suddenly began to fill the air. It was the sound of the song that I sometimes heard echoing through the fog of morning, sweet yet sad, but not quite as mournful as it was now. With it, I suddenly felt my energy dwindling, and I shivered, feeling faint. Perish Song. Catalina was using Perish Song.

Covering my ears in defence, I let Xatu take me away, wishing my tears wouldn't fall, but letting them fall freely anyway.

I'm glad for this day…

-

Three days later, a Lapras body washed up onto the beach, along with all ten ships, and their entire crews, every one of them dead. At last, they had been defeated.

Defeated, by my beautiful Catalina, by the Lapras whom I had brought up from young, for seven years.

That day, I was the first on the beach. I saw her, recognized the every scratch and indentation on her back, knew it was her in an instant.

"Catalina…" I could just feel the tears forming beneath my eyelids, like drops of seawater. The wind made them feel cold on my cheeks.

She was smiling. I could see the words etched into her dying expression, once again.

Don't cry for me. I did this for you, milady.

I recalled how I had once ridden on that same Lapras, in a utopian world with no one else, through a sea and sky that seemed to have no bounds.

But there were bounds, I suddenly realized. There was an end to everything.

Curling around her limp, cold, wet body, I shivered and cried.


End file.
